Prelude to a Siege

Last night.

Melodies from a zither resonated by a pond within the Sword Sect.

A lithe, slender man sat near the water’s edge, his fingers dancing across the ancient zither resting before him. The music flowed like water, and this man was none other than Qin Yan.

Today, he and Fangyuan had arrived at the Sword Sect, where Fangyuan seemed to have struck some kind of bargain with the sect leader. The contents written on that paper must have been central to their agreement.

However, Qin Yan was not a reborn individual, so he naturally couldn’t fathom the intricacies of their dealings.

Pondering the matter left him feeling utterly dejected, so he decided to take a stroll through the Sword Sect. Though the surrounding scenery was quite tranquil, it still couldn’t compare to that of the Yanqing Sect.

“Qin Yan, are you unable to sleep as well?”

Just then, a female voice drifted to Qin Yan’s ears from behind him.

Without needing to turn, Qin Yan already knew who stood behind him. “Fangyuan, why are you here?” he asked.

“I naturally followed the sound of the zither,” Fangyuan replied, stepping closer to Qin Yan. “These melodies are truly brimming with countless thoughts and an underlying vexation that even I can discern.”

Qin Yan offered no response; after all, the very troubles weighing on his heart had stemmed from the young woman beside him.

“I know you’re bewildered, but I have no intention of harming you,” Fangyuan said, observing Qin Yan’s silence. “Tomorrow, Sect Leader Murong will issue invitations far and wide, summoning cultivators from the Northern Lands. At that time, I will require your cooperation.”

“Why should I…?”

Qin Yan, his gaze fixed on the ancient zither in his hands, responded.

“Because I know that in two days, hordes of demons will lay siege to this Sword Sect. A brutal battle will erupt, leaving the Northern Land’s prodigies severely wounded or dead. The Sword Sect will then be annihilated, and all human life within this entire mystic realm will be plunged into utter devastation.”

Fangyuan spoke softly, her voice chillingly detached.

Upon hearing her words, one of the zither strings beneath Qin Yan’s fingers snapped with a sharp “twang.” He then stared at Fangyuan, disbelief etched across his face.

“Do you not believe me? Have you forgotten what I told you—that I am a reborn individual? No one knows what the future holds better than I do; I am clearer than anyone else.”

From the moment she spoke of the demons besieging the Sword Sect, Fangyuan had been using the sound transmission of the Gu worm within Qin Yan’s body.

‘When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.’

“Then what do you propose to do?”

Qin Yan looked at Fangyuan, inquiring.

“It’s simple: unite the Northern Land’s prodigies to collectively defend the Sword Sect. Today, I’ve already secured the Sword Sect’s trust. Tomorrow, you’ll need to win the cooperation of those Northern Land prodigies.”

Fangyuan stated.

“How could such a feat be easily accomplished?” Qin Yan shook his head, doubting how such a thing could be achieved in such a short span of time.

“Therefore, when necessary, we can resort to decisive, forceful measures. I already have a plan for such eventualities. All you need to do is follow my instructions.”

Fangyuan told Qin Yan, her gaze filled with admiration for the handsome man who sat before her, his head bowed over the zither.

Her mind raced, frantically calculating how to make Qin Yan agree to this. Revealing her identity as a reborn individual earlier had been a deliberate step towards this very goal.

Coercion or enticement? The former would inevitably wound Qin Yan’s feelings, while the latter was certainly worth considering. However, if things proceeded smoothly, Qin Yan would already gain ample rewards.

Yet, those were matters for later; for now, the true concern was how to secure his agreement.

“I…”

Fangyuan was about to continue speaking.

“I agree.”

The next instant, she heard a crisp, decisive reply from Qin Yan.

“Fangyuan, since you possess prescient abilities, akin to someone who knows the script of what’s to come, and you claim these demons will destroy the Sword Sect—and I’ve witnessed these so-called demons myself—then for the sake of humanity within this mystic realm, and indeed for my own sake, why shouldn’t I agree to your proposal?”

“After much deliberation, I must admit this is a terrifying ability. Your mind is meticulous, and you stop at nothing to achieve your goals. I truly cannot tell if being targeted by someone like you, or indeed befriending you, is a blessing or a curse.”

“Qin Yan, you truly are… uninhibited and decisive.”

Fangyuan, hearing Qin Yan’s words, had not expected the man before her to agree to her plan so readily. “This morning, weren’t you curious about what I handed to Sect Leader Murong?” she asked.

“Of course I was curious,” Qin Yan replied. “If you wish to tell me, I’ll listen. If not, what purpose would my questions serve? Everyone has their own concerns, their own secrets, and their own aspirations. Mine are simple: to survive within this mystic realm and, along the way, achieve some results that would please Shizun.”

These were Qin Yan’s honest thoughts.

Cultivating immortality, at its core, was about achieving clarity of thought and purpose. Qin Yan understood his aspirations and desires, and that was enough. By upholding his true self and tempering himself through experience, he could forge genuine worth.

As for Fangyuan, Qin Yan’s attitude towards her was the same as it was towards Xiao Miao: as long as the young woman harbored no intention of harming him, her actions had no bearing on him whatsoever.

However, deep down, he was unwilling to offend such a reborn individual, and was even willing to cling to Fangyuan’s “golden thigh”. Yet, such matters could not be forced.

“Qin Yan, your heart truly is like a clear mirror, disliking any twists and turns.”

A smile played on Fangyuan’s lips as she continued:

“Sect Leader Murong had actually long suspected her identity as a ‘person in a painting,’ but for various reasons, she hadn’t yet acted upon it. This morning, I gave her a method of ‘body snatching’ that I knew from my past, and with the key to this method still in my possession, she naturally had no choice but to cooperate with me. After all, what ‘person in a painting’ or ‘player on a chessboard’ wouldn’t want to break free and become the painter or the chess master themselves?”

“That’s certainly true,” Qin Yan nodded slightly. Fangyuan had seized upon her opponent’s needs, naturally allowing her to gain an advantage. “Since the Sword Sect has agreed to cooperate with you, your next move must be to scheme against the Northern Land cultivators, I presume? I’ve already taken my stand by your side, so how do you intend to deal with them next?”

“They will be simple enough,” Fangyuan replied with a slight nod. “We’ll simply have Sect Leader Murong invite them to a gathering at the Sword Sect. That way, we’ll catch them all in one net; once they are under our roof, they will have no choice but to comply.”

“They might feign compliance, but their hearts won’t truly submit,” Qin Yan observed. “At that point, rather than uniting with the Sword Sect to fight the demons, I suspect they’d be more likely to ambush the Sword Sect from behind.”

“I am, of course, aware of that,” Fangyuan said, looking at Qin Yan. “However, such concerns are negligible, as I already have a method to deal with such an eventuality.”

“If that is the case… then let it be done.”

Qin Yan gazed at the ancient zither before him, an instrument he had learned to play during idle moments to alleviate boredom.